KNIGHT WATCH

DO ALL IDEAS FLOAT IN A THINK TANK?

2013-06-18T07:00:00-07:00

Tucson, Arizona libraries are the first in the U.S. to add registered nurses to their staffs. In the past decade libraries have become shelters for people in need – the mentally ill, battered women, latchkey children and new immigrants. Pima County’s program began in January 2012 with 1 nurse dividing her time among 6 of the 27 libraries. By midyear 5 more nurses shared 1 full-time employment position. At the main library emergency calls seeking police help dropped 14% in 2012. At another library 911 calls dropped 60%. When it comes to meeting community needs, libraries are “reading between the lines”.

Los Angeles is the first city in the world to synchronize its traffic lights. After 30 years of planning more than 4,000 lights were synchronized in February 2013. Magnetic sensors at street corners send traffic flow information to a central system. There software or a human operator can tweak signal times to help traffic move more quickly. It used to take 20 minutes to drive 5 miles at an average of 15 mph. Although the goal of reducing the time by 12% (17.2 minutes) and increasing the speed by 16% (17.3 mph) were essentially met, LA drivers like me still feel “driveshafted”.

Samoa Air is the first airline to charge passengers by weight. In November 2012 the policy went into effect for its 3 aircraft – one 4-seater and two 10-seaters. To book online travelers enter their approximate weight plus that of their baggage and prepay on that “guesstimate”. The passengers and their baggage are weighed again at the airport, with passengers being allowed a 2% “fiddle factor” in the re-weighing. Supposedly, pay-by-weight wouldn’t work for U.S. airlines because of the impracticality of weighing passengers at the gate. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if they found a way to “make the idea fly”.

“Airbub” is a website that lets you rent out a couch, room or entire house to budget-minded business and vacation travelers. Thirty-year-old Brian Chesky started the company in 2008 – when he was short on rent money. Now Forbes estimates Airbub’s net worth at $1.5-$2.5 billion. As of 2013 more than 300,000 people have rented their homes on the site and 4 million have used the site to find places to stay worldwide. For those worried about renting to strangers, the company has a million dollar insurance policy against theft or damage – but that may not be enough assurance.

SHOULDN'T ALL PARENTS HAVE WORRY BEADS?

2013-06-15T07:00:00-07:00

The majority of “kids meals” aren’t healthy. That’s according to a 2013 study by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a non-profit health advocacy group. Ninety-seven percent of 3,500 kids meals didn’t meet basic nutritional standards. Ninety-one percent didn’t meet the National Restaurant Association’s voluntary guidelines for its Kids LiveWell program. CSPI limits meals to 430 calories and Kids LiveWell limits meals to 600 calories, but both limit salt to 770 milligrams. Nevertheless, 19 restaurant chains – 56% - didn’t meet CSPI standards and 9 didn’t meet Kids LiveWell standards. Regarding restaurants’ kids meals, it should always be “standard time”.

Eighty percent of American teenagers are eating diets that are leading to heart disease. That was one of the findings of a 2013 American Heart Association survey of 4,600 teens. The teens answered questions about their eating and exercise habits and had medical exams. Only 44% of girls and 67% of boys got enough exercise, just 66% had ideal weights and 33% already had unhealthy cholesterol levels. The good news is 90% of the girls and 78% of the boys had healthy blood pressures. Supposedly, 80% of heart disease can be prevented with healthy habits – but teenagers have “teeny” foresight.

One in 50 U.S. school children – approximately 1 million – has autism. That was the finding of a government survey of 95,000 parents done in 2011 and 2012. Researchers think the surprisingly high number is due to doctors diagnosing autism more often – especially in children with milder language, intellectual and social problems and unusual, repetitive behaviors. The greatest change in prevalence was in boys, in adolescents 14-17 years old and in children diagnosed in or after 2008. This is attributed to increased awareness among parents and doctors and better diagnostic testing. This is a new “no child left behind”.

Eleven percent of U.S. school-age children have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. That was the finding of a government survey compiled from interviews with 76,000 parents. There are 3 types of this neurobehavioral disorder. The predominantly inattentive type has a hard time organizing or finishing a task and gets distracted easily. The predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type fidgets and talks a lot, has difficulty sitting still and has trouble with impulsivity. The third type is a combination of the other two. Diagnosed cases have increased 53% in the past decade. We know what ADHD is, but in 2013 we don’t know why it is.

HOW OUTSIDE-THE-BOX CAN YOU GET?

2013-06-13T07:00:00-07:00

Nap rooms increase productivity. According to a 2011 National Sleep Foundation poll, 43% of Americans said they didn’t get enough sleep. In 2013 a growing number of companies are responding to the problem by providing nap rooms. Nationwide Planning Associates’ New Jersey office has one room with a recliner for its 20 employees. The Huntington Post’s New York office is adding a third nap room for its 400 employees. Supposedly, a power nap should take place in a cool, dark room for 20-30 minutes. Obviously, these naps “pay off” or companies wouldn’t pay employees to sleep on the job.

MeetAtTheAirport is a free, social network to turn airports into meeting places. Steve Pasternack, who created the website in 2011, got the idea after a long layover. In 2013 the site has 60,000 registered members. To join you create a profile, in which you specify what you’re looking for – conversation, networking, romance, etc. Then when you have extra time at an airport, you log in and see which other members are in the same terminal. Although Pasternack also owns the website SugarDaddie, a dating site for wealthy men and attractive women, he insists MeetAtTheAirport is just to “make time fly”.

Hointer, a high-tech Seattle clothing store, operates without people. After downloading the store’s app on your smart phone, you scan tags on clothes you want to try on. The app lets you request specific sizes and then indicates which fitting room to go to. Each fitting room has two chutes – one brings clothes in and one takes them out. The app also can be used to request different sizes, which appear within 30 seconds. When you are ready to leave, you just swipe your payment card and go. Because this is cheaper than traditional retail shopping, shoppers may “buy” the idea.

However, the most outside-the-box idea is video screens set up over urinals. To play various games the figures on the screen have to be moved to the left or right and this is done by the player directing his urine flow left or right. The motion is picked up by sensors and translated to the screen. Not only can players compare scores, but high scores are displayed on videoboards outside the men’s room. As of March 2013, the only U. S. Pee–to-Play system is in an Allentown, Pennsylvania baseball stadium. Obviously, someone there thought it was an “upstanding” idea.

ARE WE CHANGING WITH THE TIMES?

2013-06-11T07:00:00-07:00

Parents’ roles are changing. That’s according to a Pew Research Center report based on 2011 data for parents with children under age 18 living at home. Per week fathers averaged 37 hours at work versus 42 in 1965. Mothers averaged 21 hours versus 8. Although mothers still did more housework – 18 hours versus 32 – fathers did more than twice as much as in 1965 – 10 hours versus 4. Finally, mothers spent almost twice as much time with their children – 13.5 hours, but fathers had almost tripled their time – 7.3 hours versus 2.5 in 1965. As parents we aren’t created equal.

Thirty-nine percent of workers have dated a co-worker at least once during their career. That was one of the findings of a 2012 survey of more than 4,000 workers done for the jobs website CareerBuilder. Of those who’d had an office romance, 30% had dated their boss or someone else above them in the hierarchy. Although most were open about their office romance, 35% kept it secret. Nevertheless, 30% of the office romances led to marriage – which I think makes sense. Can you think of a better place than at one’s job to “work on” a relationship?

American women worry more than American men. A survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked how often people felt worried, nervous or anxious – daily, weekly, monthly, a few times a year or never. Seventeen percent of men ages 18-44 and 18% of those 45-64 reported daily or weekly worry, nervousness or anxiety. Twenty-three percent of women 18-64 said the same thing. However, over age 75 only 11% of men and 16% of women reported such feelings. Previous studies have shown older adults are less stressed than younger people. Older adults may have poorer eyesight, but they see life better.

Isolation may be shortening our lives. In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, questionnaires assessing both loneliness and social contact were filled out by 6,500 adults ages 52 and older in 2004 and 2005.Then researchers followed the participants for 7 or 8 years. After adjusting for risk factors like being poor and health problems, the extra risk associated with loneliness disappeared. However, those who spent little time with family and friends or at social events were much likelier to have died regardless of income or health. The message is to put the “i” in social.